Ghost From My Past
by Random Dice
Summary: Pulling her gun from its case, Emma ran up the walk way, only slowing when she reached the doorframe. The yelling from inside was louder and she could make out Regina's voice among the two screaming people.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Ghost From My Past  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> Once Upon a Time  
><strong>Pairings:<strong> Swan Queen (Kinda)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> No.  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Pulling her gun from its case, Emma ran up the walk way, only slowing when she reached the doorframe. The yelling from inside was louder and she could make out Regina's voice among the two screaming people.  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> A prompt from Tumblr: _Regina (not Evil Queen)'s mom visits upsetting our Mayor. Emma callms her_. **I am so sorry. I don't actually know what happened with this one and it's not exactly what you asked for, but...Let's pretend FTL doesn't exist for this.**  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I own nothing.

/

"Emma, you need to come home."

Emma quickly sat forward in her chair. "Henry? What's wrong?" She could hear muffled screaming, but the voices and words were too fuzzy for the blonde Sheriff to make out. A sniffle met her hears and she could tell Henry was trying not to cry. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"You need to come home. _Right now_." The panic in his voice was clear. Emma was on her feet in an instant, yanking her jacket over her arms and shoulders. A crash was heard and a little yelp came from Henry. "Emma!"

"I'm on my way, sit tight Henry." She grabbed her keys off the desk. "Henry, I have to-" Over the line, Emma could hear a door open with more force than necessary. Her son screamed and her blood stopped flowing. "Henry!"

"_Get your hands off my son!_" Regina's distance voice yelled, followed by glass breaking and Henry screaming again. Emma dropped the phone and ran out of the small Sheriff building, getting into her bug and driving off without bothering to buckle her seatbelt. Stopping in front of the Mayor's house, Emma saw a car that defiantly didn't belong to Regina Mills and the front door was wide open.

Pulling her gun from its case, Emma ran up the walk way, only slowing when she reached the doorframe. The yelling from inside was louder and she could make out Regina's voice among the two screaming people. The other sounded like an older woman, midsentence.

"-adopting a child? Could you be any less a woman then you already are?" Mocked the other voice. "You aren't married-" It tried to rant, but was cut off by the Mayor.

"Don't talk about my son like he's not-"

"Do not interrupt me when I am speaking, Regina."

"This is my house!"

"That boy is not yours. You did not give birth to him-"

"He is still my s-"

"Interrupt me one more time, Regina, and I will lock you in the attic."

"I am a grown woman. I run a town and have a family. You cannot treat me like a child an-"

"Mom! Let go of my Mom!" Emma rushed into the house, bypassing the mess, and headed straight to the commotion. The dining table was pushed to the side, a few chairs knocked over, and glass from the nearby mirror scattered the floor. An older woman with streaks of grey had a hand around Regina's throat pressing her to a wall with Henry behind her.

"Freeze." Emma said, voice cool and gun trained on the woman. Regina's brown eyes slid to her green ones. A gratefulness flickered in her orbs before cringing at the woman's tightening hold who wasn't the least bit fazed by Emma. "Step away from Mayor Mills and her son."

The older woman turned her head. "Dear, I think you have misunderstood what I'm doing here."

"All I see, lady, is you attacking her in her home." The Sheriff part of her spoke. The woman glanced at Regina. She dropped her hand. Regina stayed against the wall, keeping herself in between the woman and Henry. "Now. Leave."

"I will take no suc-"

"Leave." Emma snarled with a cold venom that startled not only her, but the woman. She glared at the blonde and went to say something, but thought better of it and walked out the door, not even bothering to slam it behind her.

Regina let out a sigh and sagged into the wall next to Henry. She found herself on the floor, Henry tightly holding onto her. She pressed him into her side and kissed his head to sooth him. Emma saw finger prints showing already on Regina's throat and a thin red line on her cheek. Emma kneeled beside them, holstering her gun.

"Are you two okay?" She asked softly.

Regina nodded shakily and closed her eyes. "Yes. Thank you Sheriff Swan." It wasn't a dismissal like it had been so many times in the past. It was a genuine thanks of gratitude. Emma looked back at the open door.

"Who was that anyway?" Regina followed her gaze and felt Henry's eyes on her face, wondering who had just come to their home.

"My Mother." She answered softly. She thought she had left the wretched woman behind a long time ago, but she should have known that she would find her one day. She had only hoped Henry wasn't too affected by her Mother.

"Your…?" Emma's eyes were wide and she immediately sat next the brunette. Henry tightened his grip, feeling a pain in his Mother that was too unbearable to use words to comfort. Emma must have sensed it as well because she wrapped an arm around the two of them.

_The End_


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Ghost From My Past  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> Once Upon a Time  
><strong>Pairings:<strong> Swan Queen  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> No.  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Pulling her gun from its case, Emma ran up the walk way, only slowing when she reached the doorframe. The yelling from inside was louder and she could make out Regina's voice among the two screaming people.  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> A few people asked me to continue, so I thought, why not? Prompt from Tumblr: _I loved the fic with Regina's mom in Storybrooke. Can you continue it? Puh-lease._  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I own nothing.

/

It had taken hours since Regina's Mother had stormed into the Mills Manor, but Henry was finally asleep. He refused to part from the dark haired woman and if he was, even briefly, he went into a small panic attack about where she was and if Cora had come to back to get her.

Regina was more than willing to appease her son's sudden need for her. Emma could tell Regina panicked when she was away from Henry, though the reaction was less dramatic than the ten year old's.

After dinner, the three settled on the couch, flipping the TV on and leaving it on a cartoon for Henry. Regina had quietly told her that she could leave, but Emma insisted that she stay, incase Cora showed up again. Regina nodded and hadn't argued that she could protect herself like the blonde thought she would.

A rerun of SpongeBob flicked off, thrusting the room into darkness as Emma stood, stretching her muscles and letting out a few satisfying bone cracks. She saw Regina move to get up and Henry tighten his grip on her arm. "Want me to carry him up?" The Sheriff asked quietly.

"No. Thank you Miss Swan." With deceptive strength, Regina heaved the child into her arms. She readjusted him, nudging him to move his arms around her neck, and moved to go up the stairs, Emma right behind her. The blonde rushed ahead of the two brunettes to push the boy's bedroom door open. Regina nodded to her in thanks and placed him carefully on is bed.

Noticing that Regina was struggling to extract herself from Henry, Emma went about taking his shoes off and unmaking the blanket. By the time she did this, Regina was replacing herself with a beat-up stuffed elephant that Emma didn't know was in the room. Henry clung to it.

"Sweet dreams, precious." Regina whispered after pressing a kiss to her son's forehead. She stepped back and made to leave the room, letting her son's other Mother to wish him a good night as she waited in the hallway. "Thank you." She said suddenly, when Emma walked out. She reached past her and shut the door halfway. "For staying after she left."

"No problem." Emma shrugged.

"Would you like some cider?" Regina offered. Emma recognized this to be a peace offering, unlike the first time. She was unsure if she should stay, it already felt like she was overstepping her boundaries. She looked into Regina's eyes for a moment and saw the fear.

Fear of Cora, fear of her coming back, fear of someone finding out, fear of Henry being scarred by this, fear of being alone, Emma didn't know, but the fear was enough for her to nod her head.

"You know, I think I would." The smile that spread across dark red lips told her that she picked the right choice.

/

"Was she always like that?"

Regina rolled the tumbler in between her palms and stared into the small fire she set in the fireplace. "Yes." She answered. Her fingers absentmindedly rose to touch her neck. Wincing from the fresh bruises, she dropped her hand.

"I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say. She was. No one deserved to have the crap beat out of them, especially by a parent, someone who was suppose to protect you.

Regina chuckled bitterly. "It's not your fault."

"Why did she…show up now?"

"She must have finally found me." Regina said, her brown orbs flashing to a place that Emma could not see. The blonde felt awkward. She wasn't that close to the Mayor and the closest they have come was (almost) meaningless sex when one of the two needed a release they couldn't achieve by themselves. They weren't suppose to have conversations where feelings besides anger and hatred were expressed. But Emma wouldn't leave her after what happened that day.

"I wasn't aware that you were hiding." She finally said, keeping her eyes trained on Regina.

"From her? Always."

"When was the last time you saw her? She seemed to know about Henry from what I heard when I walked in."

"Yes, it would seem she did." The Mayor took in a deep breath. "The day before my eighteenth birthday, Miss Swan."

"Emma." The Sheriff corrected. "Your eighteenth birthday? That's a long time."

"We were determined to stay under the radar. I picked Storybrooke because it's small and no matter what I did here, it would never leave here, no matter how hard she looked."

"Even being Mayor?"

"Even being Mayor. Though it seems she found me and now…" _You're not safe_ Emma completed the sentence in her head. If that's what the woman was capable of at her age now, she could only imagine that horrors of Regina's youth.

"Who's we?" Regina's head snapped over to Emma's. "You said we earlier, 'we were determined to stay under the radar'. Who is we?"

"Miss Swan-"

"Emma."

"-while I appreciate you staying to comfort Henry" Emma snorted "he is asleep now. Your presence is no longer needed." Her walls were coming back up, the ones she built to keep her Mother out and the ones that managed to keep everyone else, but the other half of the 'we' that she spoke of, out.

"You needed me too."

"I did not-"

"Then why offer me a drink? To be pleasant?" Emma asked with raised eyebrows. "We both know if you wanted me gone, I would have been out the minute your Mother left this house."

"I don't need-"

"You do." Emma, despite her better judgment, scooted closer to the darker woman. Emma was pleased when Regina didn't make a move to get away. "You've been running away from this woman for almost half your life. Keeping it all inside? It's going to hurt someone. It could hurt Henry."

"I would never harm him." Regina snapped.

"I never said you would, but your Mother is back." The blonde told her, placing a hand subconsciously on her knee. "Your Mother knows where you live and knows who Henry is. This is a small town, Regina. A small town where she could easily find out where he goes to school and where he hangs out."

Regina's dark eyes widen in terror. "No." She whispered.

"I'm not trying to scare you, honest, but do you feel that fear?" She picked up Regina's free hand and put it to Regina's own chest. "Do you feel your heart racing because you're afraid of her? The only way to overcome fear is to face it."

"I can't face her." Regina admitted in a breath below a whisper.

"Maybe not now, but you could, one day. First you have to face the memories."

The Mayor stood abruptly. She placed her glass on the mantle and walked away. Regina yanked a green, leather bound book from her shelf and dropped it to the ground. Emma jumped at the loud sound. Regina reached for a book that was hidden behind the green one with a tender care Emma saw Ashley give Alexandria when she first held her.

"My sister." Regina whispered, starring at the cover to the book in her hands. The blonde stood and made her way over to her, tumbler dropped next to Regina's. "She was the we."

"How old was she when you two left?"

Regina closed her eyes and let the image of her sister wash over her. "Almost eighteen. We are…twins." Emma watched the brunette gently open the pages to the book. Pictures were scattered across pages. Regina pointed to a picture of two teenage girls that had the caption _Me and Betty_.

"Identical?" She didn't expect to see another person that looked like the Mayor, let alone someone who was the mirror image, right down to the scar on their upper lips. "Do you still talk to her?"

"Yes. It's rare because we didn't want Mother to find us, but it's useless now. I'm going to have to call her to inform her that she's back."

"What was she like? Back then?" Regina turned from her and put the album where it belonged.

"I'd rather we didn't talk about it."

"Regina…"

"Maybe someday, but tonight, Emma." A new sort of tiredness crossed Regina's features. Something that came from years of hiding and running and not seeing her twin and being attacked in her home from a very literal demon from her past. Emma wouldn't push her, not tonight anyway. She held out her hand and when the weary brunette took it, Emma led her to Regina's bedroom.

_The End, I think?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Ghost From My Past  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> Once Upon a Time  
><strong>Pairings:<strong> Swan Queen  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> No.  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Pulling her gun from its case, Emma ran up the walk way, only slowing when she reached the doorframe. The yelling from inside was louder and she could make out Regina's voice among the two screaming people.  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Only one more chapter, okay, only one. This was a different prompt on Tumblr that I had chosen to mix the GfmP storyline. Prompt from Tumblr: _The fairy tale world isnt real. Betty from the defenders is Regina's twin sister and she comes to town to visit. only noone knows rEgina has any family,let alonea twin_ _  
><em>**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

/

Weeks passed and Cora was still lingering in the small town, staying at Granny's Inn and only being seen when Regina was alone or with Henry. The old woman had made a clear effort to only show herself when Emma wasn't in the vicinity and Regina had made equal effort to not tell the Sheriff that Cora was getting into her head.

Emma, on her part, had seen that going out now made the normally unshakable Mayor…shake. She kept her eyes peeled for the woman's Mother, but Cora was staying in shadows around Emma, sensing a fight in the blonde that she hadn't seen in either of her children or husband.

The Sheriff talked to Regina about the brunette's childhood. It took time and gentle prodding, but the hardened woman was slowly learning to talk about a past she only just realized she couldn't outrun.

"_What about the attic?" They sat in Regina's office at the manor. Henry was at the park with Paige, Nicholas, and Ava, finally feeling that it was safe to leave his Mom alone, but only alone with Emma. _

"_I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." The Mayor didn't lift her head from the documents she was writing on. She flipped a page back to sign across a level black line. Emma almost missed the way her body tensed._

_Almost._

"_Yes you do, you flinched when I said attic and you did again just now. You're Mother mentioned it when she was here. What did she do in the attic?"_

"_It was what she didn't do." Regina spoke after a moment, her head still down, pen still in hand, but no longer reading, no longer writing. Emma sat still on the small couch that was in room, her elbows on her spread knees with her fingers clasped between them. She waited patiently, she had her own demons, she understood, but she didn't have her demon stalking around town._

"_Whenever we were…what Mother deemed 'bad'," Regina took in a deep breath, "she would lock us in two different places. My sister would be in the basement and I would be in the-" The brunette stopped herself before steeling her resolve to get over her Mother's treatment of her and her sister. "I would be in the attic."_

"_Did she do anything to you?" Emma asked. "While you were in those rooms?"_

_Regina shook her head, letting her pen fall to the desk out of her hand. "No. Not in there. No, those rooms were meant to tell us that we were completely and utterly alone and no one would hear us if we screamed and if someone did, they wouldn't care." Regina turned away from her office and stared out the window at her apple tree._

It was slow, but it was progress that would help them.

Emma walked out of the station, checking her watch and cursing. She was five minutes late for dinner with Regina and Henry at Granny's and Regina was surely going to kill her, no matter how close they've become emotionally since Cora had entered Storybrooke. She broke into a fast walk, not even bothering with her car.

"Excuse me?" A voice from behind her called. Emma frowned. That was Regina's voice. The blonde turned and saw someone that definitely looked like Regina. Dragging her green eyes down the body in front of her, she noted that was not how the conservative Mayor of their town dressed. The figure moved closer and lifted Emma's chin so their eyes met. "Hi, hello, I'm up here, thank you."

Emma blushed. "Sorry, I don't normally-it's just you look so much like-" She stopped and pointed at the bemused woman. "You're Betty!"

The woman, Betty, crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow and a displeased expression on her features. "I see that the case was heard about over here. Let me tell you, if you're going to start calling me a killer, the charges wer-" Emma threw up her hands in defense.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! No, that's not…" The blonde laughed a little to show that she wasn't a threat. "I don't know what case you're talking about. I know who you are because I'm…friends with Regina." Betty's arms dropped and her expression brightened.

"You know Reggie? Do you know where she is now? I can't find her and well, I'm new here." Betty shrugged and looked pleadingly at Emma.

"I was actually just about to meet her and Henry for dinner. C'mon." She started to walk with Betty next to her who was naturally ignoring the stares she was getting. "So, what brings you to Storybrooke?"

"Reggie called and-wait do you…know?" Her voice dropped on the last word and Emma nodded. "She said Mother was here and I couldn't let her face that woman on her own. Besides, I finally get to meet my nephew!" They made small chit-chat until they reached the half full diner. Emma held the door open to let Betty walk in and stepped in behind her.

The diner's usual rowdy noise left as soon as Betty stepped foot in the doorway. Emma was sure that if a pin dropped, they would be able to tell you exactly where it came from in the restaurant. Emma could see the back of Regina's head and Henry's shocked face in a booth in the middle of the seating plan. Henry was quickly glancing back and forth between Betty and Regina.

The Mayor caught his flickering gaze and turned to look behind her. Her jaw dropped and she immediately stood. "Betty?" The woman in front of Emma nodded furiously and ran to tackle-hug her sister. Regina almost fell back at the force of her sister, but managed to support their combined weight. A look of immense relief crossed Regina's face.

"There's two of 'em?" Leroy asked not-so-quietly, unable to tear his eyes away from the reunion happening in the middle of the diner, much like everyone else. Emma saw Betty tighten her hold on her twin and a look she'd seen many times on Regina came into her eyes. Emma walked over to them and motioned for Henry to stand so they could leave. She didn't want this reunion to have blood involved.

"Madame Mayor, maybe we should take this to your house?" The twins didn't move for a moment. When they parted they just stared at each other. Betty reached up and traced a finger down the scar on Regina's lip. Regina let out a breathy laugh and returned the gesture. "Regina?"

"She right." The brunette Mayor said in a hushed tone. "Do you have anything?"

"Nothing that can't wait in my car until tomorrow. To your house?" Betty held up her hand and waited for Regina to take it. When she did, the twins, Henry and Emma left the silent diner. "So this is the town?"

Regina nodded and looked around, her hand firmly grasping her sister's, as they began to walk to Regina's car. "It is."

"Mom?" Henry said, the question all in that one word. They stood next to Regina's car and Regina held out her free hand, not letting Betty's hand go. Henry took the offered hand and was gently pulled closer to the sisters.

Regina crouched to be at eye level with him. "Henry, this is my sister, Beatrice, or as she likes to called Betty." Regina looked up at her sister. "Betty, this is my son Henry."

"After Dad." Betty said under her breath.

"We can talk about him later." Betty nodded and smiled at Henry. He was struck at how similar this woman was to his Mom. They held the same darkness in their brown eyes, they smiled the same, though Betty's was wider and teasing almost. She held out her hand to him and, after a quick glance at his Mom, he took it.

"It's nice to finally meet you Henry."

"Nice to meet you too ma'am." He said politely. He didn't know how to feel about this woman suddenly showing up in their small town, in their lives. After Cora showed up, Henry was weary about any new person that happened to stumble into their town, especially someone who was related to Regina. "Are we going home now, Mom?"

"Yes, we are."

"I guess," Emma said, making her presence known to the family, "that I'll just go home." She smiled at Henry, ruffling his hair which earned her a small glare from him as he fixed his brown hair. Regina almost looked sad that she was going back to Mary Margaret's and Emma felt the uncomfortable roll in the pit of her stomach. She had been sleeping with Regina every night since Cora and she had gotten greedy.

Betty, as if sensing the sudden sadness, grinned at Emma. "You should come back with us."

"It's okay, I don't want to intrude."

The brunette shook her head. "Nonsense. I want to know all about Regina and Henry's lives and you seem to be a big part of it, so come back with us." Emma looked at Mother and son and saw them looking back hopefully, Henry's open and wishing and Regina's hidden yet still there.

"Okay, fine, but-"

"Come on! I can show you this cool rock that Nicholas gave me while Mom and Aunt Betty talk." Henry pulled Regina into the back seat with him, not giving the blonde a chance. Betty chuckled, finally releasing her sister's hand and walking to the passenger side of the car.

/

"I still can't believe this." Betty looked around the kitchen, a glass of apple juice in front of her. Betty was touched that her sister refused to drink in front of her, knowing that Betty was a recovering alcoholic.

"That I live here? Sometimes, neither can I." Regina agreed, smiling at the roll of laughter that carried from upstairs.

"No attic or…basement?"

"No."

"That's good." Betty looked down at the amber liquid in her cup, swirling it around. Regina knew that the basement was just as bad as the attic. It brought up the same bad memories. Regina placed her own juice on the counter before taking Betty's and putting it next to hers. She took her sister in her arms. Betty shook against her.

"It's okay Beatrice."

"I love seeing you, Reggie, I love it. I loved meeting Henry, he's amazing. But I wish we didn't have to worry about Mother. I know you're thinking about where she is." Betty cried softly into Regina's shoulder. She was never the stronger between the two.

"I do worry, mostly for Henry." Regina confirmed. "He's a little boy, a child who is outspoken. Mother has a thing for putting children in their place and I never want him to know what we know."

"And of us?"

Regina tightened her hold much like Betty did earlier at the diner. "We will survive, but we need to stop running Betty. Emma taught me that." She smoothed back her sister's curling hair. "We'll always be hiding and living in fear of Mother if we don't stand up to her. We're older now. We can defend ourselves now."

"Reggie-" A knock at the door had them both stiffening and the laughter from upstairs stopping abruptly. Feet ran down the stairs and Regina couldn't even tell Henry to not run. His small body skidded into the room, franticly looking for her. When he saw her, the boy squeezed between his Mom and Aunt, gripping his Mom for dear life.

Emma stepped into the room and looked back at door which held possibly the worst kind of woman out. She let out a deep sigh and looked at Regina. The Mayor seemed slightly afraid, but determination was smeared across her features as she nodded Emma closer. "We do this as a family. If that's Cora…" Henry and Betty shivered. "Then I want all of us to be strong. Emma, if she gets out of control, take Henry and go."

"But Mom!" Henry argued even as Emma nodded, though it was clear she wasn't happy about it either.

"No, young man, I don't want you getting caught in the cross fire." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. Regina stood straight and took Betty's hand in hers as the person on the other side of the door knocked again impatiently.

**TBC…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Ghost From My Past  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> Once Upon a Time  
><strong>Pairings:<strong> Swan Queen  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> No.  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Pulling her gun from its case, Emma ran up the walk way, only slowing when she reached the doorframe. The yelling from inside was louder and she could make out Regina's voice among the two screaming people.  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Prompt from Tumblr: _Please please please continue the Cora and Betty Swan Queen fic! 3 _& _Please continue the story with Cora and Betty, I really want to know what happens next :)_  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I own nothing, but goddamn I want to.

/

The door swung open. Betty stiffened and Regina instinctively put herself in front of her twin. Cora was at the door, a grin spread across her features. She held her arms out wide, "My darlings!" When neither moved, the grin darkened. "I haven't seen you in close to twenty years and I get no hello, no how are you?" She dropped her arms gracefully and walked into the house, unperturbed by Emma's growl when her hand touched Henry's that were still wrapped around Regina's waist.

"What is your business here, Mother?" Regina asked. Emma felt something akin to pride bloom in her chest at the strong words and how high Regina held herself. Cora swept past the four and into the nearby den. She placed herself on the couch and eyed the Mayor with expectant eyes. Emma caught the way Betty's grip on Regina's arm was turning white at the almost-non-gesture.

Brown eyes shook in an age old fear that threatened to overtake her. She felt the urge to move forward and pour her Mother a drink as she was taught from a young age. The only thing stopping her was her sister and her son's hold on her. She wouldn't betray them by falling into old habits. Emma saw her internal struggle and glared at the older woman watching them.

Emma didn't know how she felt exactly about Regina, but she knew she cared for her and she knew that whatever Cora was doing right now was setting a trigger off in Regina and Betty's heads and it pissed the blonde off.

"Aren't you going to offer me a drink?" Cora asked in a sickly, clearly fake, sweet voice that paled the twins. The two pressed into each other, mindful of Henry who was still sandwiched in between them. "Regina, haven't I taught you manners? When there is a guest in your home, you offer them a beverage."

"I think the one with no manners is you lady." Emma said, stepping next to Regina with a cutting glare on her face. It wasn't anything close to what Regina Mills could produce on her good days, but the woman was frozen, fighting her natural instincts and the instincts that were beat into her, and Emma was more than willing to step up and help out.

Cora threw a dangerous look to the Sheriff and Emma had to catch herself before she stumbled. "I don't believe I was talking to you little girl. You had better watch your mouth, you are out of line."

"No, Mother, I believe you are." Regina finally spoke, trying to push Emma back, but the blonde would have none of it. She grabbed the hand that was trying to cover her and held it so Regina could feel another lifeline. Cora looked surprised at Regina's words. Betty loosened her hold and lifted her head from where it was buried in her sister's shoulder.

"What are you doing here Mother?" Betty repeated Regina's question.

Cora smiled patronizingly at the younger of her two daughters. "Beatrice, my dear baby, won't you come give your Mother a hug. You weren't around for our last reunion."

Regina scowled as she felt her sister's body tremble. Hugs were not something their Mother doled out on a whim and if she were to give you one, something always happened, something bad. "Leave her alone." The brunette demanded.

"You can't protect Beatrice forever, my dear." Cora shifted on the couch, flipping a leg over a knee and stretching her arms over the back of the sofa in a possessive way. "Now that drink-"

"You are not welcome here, Mother. State your business and leave." The icy tone in Regina's voice made Emma smirk. It wasn't that long ago that something similar was directed toward her, for completely different reasons. Cora narrowed her eyes at Regina then moved her gaze to Emma and Regina's intertwine hands.

"This is rich," She sneered, pulling her weight from the couch. Once on her feet, she moved closer to the three women and little boy. Betty flinched at the venom in Cora's words and Henry's finger tips dug into Regina's flesh. "I knew you were an abomination from the beginning, but I thought you had been fixed through our sessions."

Emma frowned as the body next to her went completely ridged. A darkness lowered itself on Regina's features and Betty sucked in a sharp breath. The room seemed to drop twenty degrees as Cora entered Regina's personal space and the Mayor made no movement.

"I thought you could be fixed." Cora stood toe-to-toe with Regina and took delight in the pain that swam in her daughter's dark depths. The pain wasn't fresh, but it still stung the same.

"I wasn't broken in the first place." Regina told her, her voice low, dangerous and warning.

Cora let out a hurtful chuckle. "Not broken? Regina, look at your life." She gestured to the room in which they stood. "Thirty four, no husband, no family. You're only a dirty dyke with a bastard child."

How Regina managed to untangle herself from not only her, but Betty and Henry as well, was beyond Emma. The brunette crashed her body into Cora's, trapping her against a wall with her hand around the older woman's throat. Her right hand was squeezing painfully tight and Cora watched her in horror. "My son is not a bastard!" Regina pulled her forward and slammed her against the wall with more force than necessary.

"Regina-" Emma tried to pull her secret lover off the rightly frightened woman.

"There is a reason Betty and I ran away from you as soon as possible. There is a reason why Dad left as soon as we did. There is a reason why you never met my son. We wanted you to die alone!" She shouted, forcing all her weight into hurting Cora, barely minding Emma's grappling hands. "We wanted you to be put in a home where no one cared and no loved you. We wanted your funeral to be barren and for you to be alone after what you had done to us!"

Cora clawed at Regina's hands to loosen them. "P-p-ple-ease."

Regina laughed coldly in her face. "Begging is a weakness, Mother. You taught me that. Remember when you held us underwater and when we begged you to stop, you told us something, do you remember, Mother?" When Cora made no motion to answer, Regina slammed her into the wall again. "Do you remember what you said?"

"I-i-i-i-"

"Mom! Stop!" Henry yelled and hit his Mom's back to bring back the Mom who he loved and who loved him. Not this dark woman who was hurt time and time again who was more than willing to kill the woman who smacked her around like a ragdoll. "Mommie, please!"

"Regina!" Betty ripped her sister away from their bluing Mother. She wrapped her arms around Regina's chest and forced her away from Cora. The wild look in her twin's eye worried Betty, but she understood that she was the only thing in the way between Henry having a family and Cora being murdered. "Calm down!"

"You will leave my town, Mother! You will leave and never return." She screamed at the woman was scrambled to get up and made her way to the door. "If you do, if I ever see your face again, I'll kill you! I will kill you!"

_End (Seriously) _


End file.
